1964-1965

Soundtracks

In this period Italian cinema becomes more like industry and less like art. New productions are established and every movie genre finds its way in Italy, alternating originality with the emulation of Hollywood studios. In these two years, Umiliani confronts himself with all movie genres: peplum, horror, thriller, comedy, psychological drama and western.Umiliani composes the soundtrack for the comedy “Il Comandante”, starring a mature Totò, and the themes for “La Celestina P:R:”, directed by Carlo Lizzani. Movie lovers discover (and rediscover) the films “Agente 3S3: Passaporto per l’Inferno” (“Agent 3S3: Passport to Hell”) by Sergio Sollima (here with the pseudonym Simon Sterling), in which Edith Peters sings “Let Me Free”, and the crazy “La Vendetta di Lady Morgan” where Umiliani too, maybe embarrassed by the movie, signs the soundtrack under the name of Peter O’Milian…Umiliani starts his collaboration with Franco Franchi and Ciccio Ingrassia, two comedians today rediscovered by both the public and critics. “002 Agenti Segretissimi” (“Oh! Those Most Secret Agents”) marks the beginning of their collaboration. This is a parody of a James Bond movie by Lucio Fulci, a famous director known also for being the author of the lyrics of the beat theme “Cerco un Ragazzo per un Giorno d’Estate”. Franco and Ciccio also star with great silent movie actor Buster Keaton in “Due Marines e un Generale” (“War Italian Style”) directed by Luigi Scattini.J.X. Williams, legendary “bottom of the barrel” American director (unwelcome in his own country) directs “Peep Show” in Denmark, a conspiracy film revealing America’s secrets among which a Mafia plot to addict singer Frank Sinatra to heroin. Umiliani’s music, with a theme taken from the soundtrack of “I Soliti Ignoti”, completes this movie, restored in 2003.In the soundtracks of “Bianco, Rosso, Giallo, Rosa” (“Love Factory”) and “L’Ultimo Rififi” ("Los Dinamiteros") are included sophisticated and catchy themes, that are examples of what we call today “easy jazz”.However, Umiliani’s masterpiece of this period is “Una Bella Grinta” by Giuliano Montaldo, a dramatic thriller set in Emilia Romagna. For this movie Umiliani writes an intense jazz soundtrack, enhanced by Argentinian tenor saxophonist Gato Barbieri.

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